Better known for its road and gravel bikes, Decathlon’s Van Rysel brand has made its long-awaited debut in the mountain bike market, and boy, it’s not done things by halves. The RCR-XC looks to be as modern as it gets, as it’s sorted with a pair of 32-inch wheels, and extensive wind tunnel testing means that aerodynamics are a huge part of its design. Here’s what we know.
Van Rysel says that the RCR-XC is ‘built to win the biggest XC races, and it’s been designed with the same methodology used to develop its successful road-going frames. That includes analysis of race scenarios, stints in the wind tunnel, and advice from top-level riders. After that race analysis, Van Rysel drew its focus upon what it reckons are the three most important variables: speed, power, and time… Duh.
One of the components that the brand believes will help achieve success is 32-inch wheels. Of course, stiffness and weight were also key points for Van Rysel’s first-ever XC contender, and they’ve both had their fair share of attention, resulting in a frame that’s 230g lighter than the 29-inch bike the Decathlon Ford team is currently riding.
Aerodynamics has been a topic that’s slowly bubbled under the surface of XC, with riders going so far as to ride gravel tyres on deep-section rims at certain races this year. And the RCR-XC gets a very similar treatment, as it runs what look to be deep-section rims from Zipp. Though it’s tough to say how much further the aero features go just by looking at the pictures we’ve been provided. However, we’re told that this design saves 15.5 watts at 35km/h.
There is that handlebar, however. It’s mental, but there are some serious nods to Van Rysel’s road heritage, as the one-piece bar and stem combo almost has its own drops, and flat portions shaped for aero gains, I bet. Additionally, it’s sorted with Vittoria Peyote and Mezcal tyres, showing that Vittoria is keen for a bit of 32-inch action, and it’s amongst the Trek and Scott we saw at Solider Hollow a couple of weeks ago, running what I guess is a new RockShox Sid fork designed to fit that big wheel.
Van Rysel has divulged no details on the bike’s suspension, so we’re a little in the dark here, but it’s clear that it’s using a flex-stay platform, something that’s common amongst the XC circuit.
As for availability, well, it’s not available to buy yet, as the brand states that it’s going to be used by the Decathlon Ford team riders to gather a bit of feedback, so there may be some changes to be made yet. However, Van Rysel has said that we can expect RCR-XCs to hit the market next year. There’s some chance that it might not be crazy expensive, as this is a Decathlon brand after all, and the brand says, “Our products will reflect the same commitment as in our other areas of our business: enabling every cyclist to access the best equipment on the market at the fairest possible price.”
